Customer Reviews

52, Vol. 1

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

52 was, if nothing else, a grand experiment. Initially, it purported to show what would happen in the DC Universe during a year without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Well, the answer there is, as you might expect, pretty much exactly what happens in the DCU books that aren't constantly pandering to the Big Three.

That said, what we do get in these books is an array of talent rarely seen in one place and at one time -- especially as regards third string characters.

While the quality of the artwork varies at times (and with the huge panel count pages no one involved in 52 could be considered a slouch), the writers miraculously provide a consistent and unified tone.

And while 52 does not directly embody the intricacy of an extended Rucka plotline, the unbridled insanity of Morrison, or the straight-up sass of Waid cutting loose; it does show delightful touches of all of three of these authors while remaining generally faithful overall to the work of tried-and-true DC stalwart Geoff Johns.

52 feels more like Geoff Johns on JSA than anything else -- only maybe a bit deeper, a bit nuttier, and a bit funnier -- and for the most part that's a very good thing.

Like Geoff Johns' JSA, you also wouldn't consider 52 an "easy" read. There are lots of panels, lots of tiny text bubbles, lots of storylines running haywire all over the place.

Countdown, the follow-up to 52 headed by Paul Dini, by counterexample, is a much simpler and more straight forward execution. Because of this, in the moment, it feels more engaging -- but does it resonate so thoroughly? Only time will tell.

As befits a book of 52's stature, there are highs and lows, bits that work (Black Adam, Skeets) and bits that don't (Adam Strange, Animal Man, Batwoman). If you plan to read it all, you'll enjoy it. You certainly won't feel gypped. Is it a story that resonates for the ages? No. Is it quote unquote important? No. Does it rival the best work of any of these authors individually? No.

But 52 is a solid story overall and one that in places does manage to captivate the soul.

Casual buyers, bear in mind that none of these trades will contain anything resembling an arc. For a complete story, you must purchase ALL of the 52 trades.

This book: 5 stars. 52, the series: 4 stars.

I bought each issue of this weekly comics as it came out and now I've shelled out for the trade paper back. Why? Because 52 is an amazing soap opera read and is like NOTHING you've ever read before from DC. It's landmark, genre-fusing, crazy, and one of a kind.

It really reads well when strung together like this: all the foreshadowing, all that hard work by four of the most talented and creative writers in the business, it's all there from issue one, page one. To complain about the odd pacing issue on a book that came out week-in, week-out for fifty-two weeks is churlish, but as you may or may not now, hard core comics fans can be ridiculously cantankerous. Give em Citizen Kane, they'd moan that it is in back and white, give them The Godfather and they'll bitch that it's not as violent as Scarface.

All the blurbs on the book's back jacket, from almost EVERY major press outlet, is there for a reason. 52 is an amazing accomplishment, a bird's-eye view of the DC Universe that takes us through one year in the life of some of its fascinating second and third tier characters.

The commentary section after each issue is a very nice bonus and offers insights into how the story changed from it's original conception, how it took on a life and momentum all its own, and how the writers and editors came up with many off their brilliant ideas.

In terms of mainstream superhero comics, this is THE series of the last ten years, and it sets a standard of achievement and excellence that will be hard to match! So do believe the hype: this is a rolicking, fun, entertaining read.

Other reviewers will invariably take 52 to task for a perceived neglect in achieving what they have taken to be the purported goal of this series. And while there is a certain legitimacy to these gripes, they do a disservice to the series which, on its own terms--which is to say, outside of reader expectations--mostly succeeds in weaving together a diverse collection of narrative threads and character arcs, and eventually coming to some rather clever and exciting, if occasionally confusing, conclusions.

It is true that the extent to which it speaks to the One Year Later stories seems almost an afterthought...but oh well. What it does do is introduce new readers (or reintroduce them to comics veterans) to an assortment of lesser-known but otherwise strong characters from DC's B-list and put into motion events that, by the end, allow each of those characters to shine in a way that a universe dominated by the Big 3 seldom allows. DC never entertained the idea that characters of the ilk of Booster Gold and Elongated Man could someday be A-list headliners of flagship titles. That's just silly. Instead, 52 is an ensemble drama that rewards readers for their attention.

If it has a weakness, it is that the real-time gimmick doesn't always bear out very well, as some plot lines seem absurdly protracted in order to coordinate story and thematic climaxes. But thankfully, this only begins to plague the series about two-thirds of the way in. The first collected volume, which only contains the set-ups, still manages to pack a good deal of narrative punch as it puts all of our protagonists into situations within which they are the decided underdogs:

Booster Gold discovers that he may in some way be responsible for breaking time. Animal Man, Adam Strange, and Starfire are stranded in deep space with a bounty on their heads. John Henry Irons stands as the only moral counterbalance to the hollow promises and Machiavellian intent of Lex Luthor's Everyman program. Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man) is living on borrowed time after a near suicide attempt while he attempts to put his final affairs in order. And so on. You may not care for all of these mysteries or all of these characters, but the chances are good that at least one of these plotlines will suck you in.

At its best, 52 is rousing. At its worst, plodding. Though never particularly bad, in my opinion. And the early installments were all fairly well-paced.

After Dc Infinite Crisis, Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman vanished...was the world defenseless--NOT AT ALL. This 52 week maxi series divided in 13 issue arcs is what great comics are about.

DC did some housecleaning, but brought heros from ages ago and modern day together. It is good work. It is told over 53 weeks that the Superman, Batman,etc are missing.


However, at this books 13 issue division point, you crave for more and more... and the next volume is a month away-I got this first week in june, next volume is mid july-IT is Depressing

Now what DC comics did is better than the mess Marvel Comics calls the Civil War-It is not Civil, nor it is really intriguing, just a hype to spread over all its lines. This 52 week series uses characters and makes the readership involved-a trick Marvel has done for years. It is also One series of books, rather than millions-BRAVO

I can not wait until volume two--or three--or four...and then its 52 series sequal Countdown..OKAY I AM HOOKED

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

To say that DC's 52 is ambitious is saying it lightly. While fast forwarding the rest of the DC universe a whole year after the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, DC launched this weekly, real time comic series (hence the title). 52 finds the DC universe minus Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and those that have fallen in the events from Infinte Crisis as well. The series mainly revolves around what could be considered minor heroes, including Elongated Man, Booster Gold, Steel, Adam Strange, Animal Man, Starfire, and the Question among the many others that populate the DC universe, as well as Captain Marvel nemesis Black Adam. In this first volume that collects the first thirteen weeks, Elongated Man finds the grave of his dead wife Sue desecrated and soon learns of a cult seeking to resurrect the fallen Superboy, Booster Gold defends Metropolis seeking fame and fortune for his deeds, Steel finds himself transformed as Lex Luthor reveals a devious plan, Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire are trapped on an alien planet with a bounty on their heads, and the Question teams up with burned out Gotham City cop Renee Montoya, and Black Adam takes over the nation of Khandaq, meets the love of his life, and seeds are planted for future events that could spell doom for all involved. Also here are the debuts of Batwoman and the mysterious Supernova, who becomes the new defender of Metropolis much to the delight of reporter Clark Kent. We also learn the fate of the rest of the space team from Infinite Crisis (Green Lantern Alan Scott, Hawkgirl, Firestorm, Cyborg, Red Tornado, etc.) who return to Earth in vastly different states. Featuring a bevy of talent in terms of writers (Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid) as well as artists (Keith Giffen, Joe Bennett, Ken Lashley, and Jimmy Palmiotti among others), 52 manages to be compulsively addicting as well as confusing for new readers. Despite all that though, 52 has more going for it than some reviews may make you think, and as a follow up to Infinite Crisis, it succeeds mightily. All in all, 52 is an ambitious project that surprisingly works well for what it is, and it's definitely worth picking up if you missed out on the single issues.

When I first started reading this book I was in a state of confusion. All the characters and names thrown at me were bewildering. I suppose long time fans of DC could make sense of what was going on . I was seriously wondering if I had made a huge mistake buying all four books at once.
The more I read the more things started to fall into place and the more I began to enjoy the book. By the end I couldnt wait to start book 2. The artwork is very good and the discussions between each week a much better than average read.
Summary: A hard book for non DC fans at first but ending up a very enjoyable read. great artwork and paper.

I've been VERY critical of the Infinite Crisis. Rightfully so; it kinda sucked. 52, however, makes up for a lot of DC's mistakes. 52 is nail-bitting! The story for Vol. 1 is really a few different stories: Elongated Man still realing from the events of Identity Crisis, Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire stranded on an alien world, the Question and Montoya taking on Intergang, what's looking like a very interesting story about Black Adam and Lex giving everyday people powers after he is cleared from wrong doing as Alex's body has been found aquiting him of guilt for recent events.

I have not read past Vol.1, but so far, so good. Although a very strong story, some of the artwork is not the best, although, it is still pretty good; just not fantastic. That being said, I do recommend this to the DC disillusioned or anyone who likes a good super-hero story.

It seems that DC and Marvel have decided that `major events' should happen on a continuous rather than occasional basis thus `Countdown to Crisis' begat `Infinite Crisis' which begat `52' which begat `Countdown' which begat who knows what. Essentially 52 is just a bridge between Infinite Crisis and whatever follows Countdown. It's all becoming very confusing... or exciting... depending on your perspective. The series is somewhat groundbreaking in that it ran every week for exactly one year hence the name 52. Packing 13 issues into one book isn't really the way it was intended to be read. It was meant to be episodic but so be it. The series consists of multiple threads that develop, swerve and occasionally collide.

The storylines revolve around lower level DC characters like Booster Gold, Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man) and The Question with occasional appearances by bigger stars. The pacing is fairly well done although I often found myself wishing they would favor some storylines (e.g. Booster Gold) over others that tend to drag (Black Adam). In some cases a storyline will simply be ignored for several issues. The art is good but not really spectacular. What really drives the series forward is the anticipation of where each storyline will lead. Is Mr. Mind trying to recreate the Monster Society of Evil? Has Booster Gold broken the universes timeline? Will Ralph Dibny really resurrect his wife Sue and what the heck is Luthor plotting?

Alright, I'm hooked. Unfortunately I have to wait more than a month for the next installment. In my opinion 52 pales in comparison to Infinite Crisis although that could change as things progress. It's also inferior to many of the Countdown to Crisis storylines but it's still pretty darn good. Since I don't know how the series ends the jury is still out for me on whether or not it's a success because a few lousy endings will kill it. Its success or failure is all dependent on how they resolve the stories. Here's hoping for the best.

I'm a guy going through the road to Final Crisis and I gotta tell this book worth every cent of my money. I took the liberty of begining with Crisis on Infinite Earths, Hush, Under the Hood, the Countdowns and Infinite Crisis.

52 is a direct follow up to Infinite Crisis. Just were it left, without the 3 main guys and with the leftover heros... did I say "leftovers"?. I mean, this books (52) screams "DC Comics is not only Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman". There is a whole other set of heros that haven't been taking into account.

What is 52?. I haven't read the whole 4 volumes, and I certainly won't spoil anything to anybody, but this is a really fun, addictive read. Mistery and several cool plot twists that makes you wanting for more.

I recomend this for sure in order to fell in love with characters who you are not familiar with and that apparently have a main participation on the Final Crisis events.

Buy it!.

For fans of the DC universe this is an awesome collection. Collecting the first titles in the 52 comic series in a trade paperback collection. If you're like me and love comics but don't have time to hunt them down each week this is the way to go. The story line is that for 1 year Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have gone missing/walkabout to rediscover themselves and see what life holds for them outside of being a super hero. In the meantime all the other DC heroes are holding the line against the forces of evil. This collection also helps to tie together some loose ends that have come up since the last Crisis. Things like what has happened to the Elongated Man since the death of his wife. Whats going on with Black Adam and his rise to power in the middle east. What about the missing heroes from the war in space. Things like that. A great collection and after each chapter is a word from the creators. Well worth the price.